Girl on Girl Action

This morning, a few foxy Red Sox bloggers tossed around the idea of hiring a female GM.

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Annette: Okay, here's a question for y'all: how would we feel about a female Red Sox GM? And how do we think she woud be percieved? Would she be judged on her own merits or would it be viewed as some sort of PR stunt?

I ask this because there are starting to be whispers about Kim Ng of the Dodgers being a possible GM candidate. She comes with excellent qualifications. She's the current assistant GM for the Dodgers and before that she was an assistant GM with the Yankees and worked closely with Stick Michael.

Kristen: I feel like it'd be a tough sell and not because it'd be viewed as a PR stunt. I think Boston is a notorious insider town. We loved Theo, in part, because he was a local boy.

Meredith: She'd be treated differently by the majority of the other GMs she dealt with and it would take a while for her to get them to take her seriously. Some bad trades/signings and, unlike Theo, she'd be roasted IMMEDIATELY. Some good moves and, of course, some people would say that she was being helped by others in the organization. I think the younger generation might react better to it than say, men of 60 or 70 years of age. I can't see older men approving of such a move.

But the bottom line is that she'd have to be given a fair chance by the owners, because she'd need twice as long to prove herself. She would have to work for owners who believe in her, wouldn't mind some public backlash, and wouldn't give up her after one bad trade.

Women in a man's world are never treated fairly. At least, not in the beginning.

Annette: I agree with both of you. And her not being given a fair shake would be what would concern me most. I think her being "a chick" would be fine for most anyone ages 2 to about 55/60. I think guys our dad's ages wouldn't have an issue with that. It's people our grandfather's ages that would probably freak out.

I think what would concern me most about it is that baseball is a notorious old boys club. It is very hard to break into baseball if you don't have a penis. But on the other hand, the fact that she rose to assistant GM in two of the largest baseball markets speaks to her tenacity.

If she's qualified, then I would hope that the Red Sox front office would be willing to give her serious consideration.

Amy: With the fans' mindset of how involved Lucchino is in processes right now, she might have a better mistake cushion here than elsewhere. There also may be MORE patience because she's female than a random male Theo replacement would have.

No doubt it's a tough road but the way male non-players have been becoming more visible, it's about time.

Meredith: Do any of you remember Manon Rheaume? She was a female goaltender who played a handful of games with the Tampa Bay Lightening when the team first started up. It was most likely a publicity stunt since the team was new and needed attention. But she was never taken seriously. She was a punchline, even before anyone knew whether or not she was any good.

To most men, women don't belong in professional sports, unless they're buying the beer, planning the event, or cleaning up after it's over.

Amy: Do you think location matters?

Meredith: Only in that Boston is a tougher city than, say, Milwaukee. I'd imagine a female GM in NY or Boston would have a tougher go at it than in Kansas City or Milwaukee.

Kristen: Agreed. I can think of only a handful of cities where the firing/resignation of a successful GM would cause the same kind of riot it's causing now. Boston, New York, possibly St. Louis and maybe Atlanta. The bottom line is that we are insane here and we pay attention to things like front office moves. I'd venture that a lot of fans in say, Milwaukee or Tampa Bay don't even know the names of the team's GMs. Which is fine. Different breeds of fans. That said, whoever gets the position will be under way more scrutiny than in one of those less rabid cities. It's the nature of dealing with a dedicated and passionate fan base. But I still think the scrutiny will be more severe it the GM is female. Deservedly so or not.

Annette: Would she though? Or would we be more accepting of a female GM than say a Milwaukee or a Tampa Bay?

It's fascinating to think about. And I think she has a better shot here than most anywhere else. This is the ownership that was not afraid to give Bill James a job. Or to hire a 28yr old "kid" back in 2003. They don't mind thinking outside the box.

Kristen: People still think that Hazel Mae is going to sleep with the entire team. Whether or not she is is almost beside the point. The fact that the issue ever gets raised is the point.